Definition
Maneuvers in which the airplane simultaneously changes altitude and heading, requiring coordinated control inputs to manage pitch, bank, power, and rudder together. At night, these turns are flown primarily by reference to flight instruments because outside visual cues are limited or absent.
Plain English
Turning the airplane while also climbing or descending at the same time, instead of doing one then the other.
Context Anchor
Encountered in flight maneuver training, especially during night flight training, when outside visual cues are reduced and the pilot must rely more carefully on the instruments.
Why Pilots Care
These maneuvers build the coordination and instrument scan skills needed to stay oriented when outside visual cues are limited or absent at night.
Intuition Check
Do not think of these as normal level turns with the nose simply pointed up or down. The airplane must be controlled for both the turn and the altitude change at the same time.
Example Sentence 1
After takeoff, the student practiced climbing and descending turns to a designated altitude using only the attitude indicator and altimeter.
Example Sentence 2
In the training syllabus, climbing and descending turns are introduced after basic night climbs and descents have been mastered.